Day 6 - My everything hurts.

14:30
I can feel that I went for it yesterday on the mountain. My calves are aching, my thighs are burning, my feet are whining, my back is crunchy. In fact, my everything hurts. If I had a hangover, and a banging head, I’d probably give up on today and go back to bed. Clear headed as I am, I decide that my ageing and aching body will fall into line, and do what’s asked of it. Here’s hoping…

I’ve not eaten breakfast once this week. I’m up and out before 09:00, and on one of the first cable cars up the Ahorn, which I suspect translates as A-hole. The skiing on the Ahorn is limited to a few runs. They’re good, but it’s not a full day’s entertainment. There’s a great warm up slope though. Steep in places, wide, always powdery. I run down it a few times to limber up, and can feel my legs coming back to life.

Carrying on from that run down the mountain is one of my favourite red runs. It’s steep, but the pistes tend to stay fairly smooth. My knees aren’t up to the really bumpy stuff any more, but I enjoy the steepness and speed of the run. I spend a great hour or so running various combinations of these two pistes.

Around 11:00, I take a break, and sit outside the White Lounge, the ice bar at the top of the mountain. The views are staggering. Nothing not to love. Even at 11:00, there are some cool tunes kicking out. I limit myself to a single beer, and am back on the slopes a little before 12:00. Another hour of traversing up and down the mountain, and I’m feeling properly peckish, so stop for some lunch. A grilled Wurst, some Sauerkraut, and a sort of bacon dumpling thing. Not the lightest of fare, but very tasty.

Getting back on the slopes, my legs are starting to tighten up again. I could push through, but I suspect after yesterday’s efforts, my body is just asking me to take a bit of a break. I pay heed. After a couple of quick runs, I’m on the cable car back down the mountain, and tucking into a Weissbier shortly after that .I’m not entirely sure why I’ve developed such an attachment to this style of beer. It’s hardly new to me, but I’ve never enjoyed it as much as I have here. Gonna have to see if I can track down some Franziskaner when I get home…

22:45
I spend a good couple of hours in the spa. The jacuzzi washes away much of the muscle tension I’ve been feeling, and the sauna leaves me feeling almost light-headed. Back at my room, I take a quick nap - maybe 40 minutes. It’s properly deluxe.

To reward myself for a fine afternoon’s sensibleness, I crack open a bottle of wine. Austria wines tend to the bright end of the scale, with lots of fresh acidity. The Spar over the road has a Moskateller (Moscatel) wine which is off-dry, but still crisp and shiny. It’s a very easy drinker. I read for a bit, write for a while, then realise I’ve yet to watch the last ever episode of Gavin and Stacey, which aired last night in the UK. I quickly download it - well, I quickly start the download process. The WiFi in the hotel is pretty shit, so the download itself takes some time. I curl up on my sofa to watch, with a cold glass of wine.

Dinner is once again excellent. Roasted belly pork, well cooked, accurately seasoned, super crispy crackling. I’m also rather taken with tonight’s dessert, which is a kind of deconstructed Tiramisu. I’m not normally a fan of these reworked / rethought desserts, but this really works. It’s ultra light, and very tasty. For an as yet unknown reason, there is a bag-piper in the dining room. Full Scottish regalia. I don’t enjoy the sound of bag-pipes. It always sounds to me like someone is molesting a weasel. Rod, being a proud Scotsman, disappears at one point to put in a request of the piper. He returns with (for him) sad news. The piper is a local chap - Tyrolean by birth, and has no knowledge of the traditional Scots songs that Rod wants to hear. He’s a little deflated.

Rod, Dave and I decide to head out for a couple of beers. We end up Barrique, which is more of a wine bar than anything else, but they’ve got some properly good wine on their list. We share a bottle of a sensational Austrian red - A Zweigelt, which is a pretty rare grape outside of Austria. It’s got a lot in common with Pinot Noir - heady perfume, silky tannins, bright acidity. Yum.

Around 22:00, I declare victory, and head back to the hotel. I’m keen to make the most of my last day on the mountain tomorrow, so want to make sure I get a half-decent sleep…Læs mere